CLOUD

Mechanical and automotive engineering students at Oxford Brookes University will learn how to design and test everything from desk fans to race cars using 300 licenses of SolidWorks 3D mechanical design and 50 licenses of COSMOSWorks design analysis software, SolidWorks announced today. Oxford Brookes has standardized engineering instruction on SolidWorks and COSMOSWorks software because their intuitive user interfaces and seamless integration help students focus on learning design and design analysis, instead of complex design software. Based in Oxford, U.K., Oxford Brookes University has challenged its students to think beyond the classroom for nearly a century and a half. Its mechanical engineering and automotive engineering courses expose students to CAD fundamentals and teach them how to communicate their product design ideas in 3D. "Students needed five weeks of training with our previous software before they had a solid foundation to begin designing in 3D because the software wasn't intuitive," said Shpend Gerguri, senior lecturer at Oxford Brookes. "With SolidWorks' interface, students won't waste time hunting for the right button for each action. That will make a big difference as they explore what they can do in 3D. They'll be able to hone skills sooner and more in depth with SolidWorks." Third-year mechanical and automotive engineering students may participate in the global Formula Student race car program in which students from different universities design, test, build, and race Formula-style race cars. The smooth interoperability between SolidWorks and COSMOSWorks allows students to design their race cars and test them for aerodynamics and structural integrity as well as how they'll perform on the track. The university's previous system forced students to struggle with transferring design data from one application to another. "We're preparing students for engineering careers, and many of them will end up at companies such as Jaguar, Aston Martin, and Ford," Gerguri said. "It's crucial for them to learn both design and analysis. The seamless integration between SolidWorks and COSMOSWorks will allow them to troubleshoot their designs from one platform, giving them a taste of what product design is like in the real world." Gerguri and the faculty will also use SolidWorks and COSMOSWorks to teach students in other degree programs, such as media technology and technology management, who may need some 3D mechanical design and analysis skills. For example, a media technology student may learn how to design a new video editing machine or create new components for a sound studio's mixing board. "Oxford Brookes is in one of the world's finest learning institutions," said Rosanne Kramer, director of worldwide education markets for SolidWorks Corporation. "Its engineering students have accomplished stunning design feats on their way to professional careers, including recently placing first among British Formula Student race teams, and fifth place globally. We are pleased to become such an integral part of this dynamic learning program, and look forward to future wins and career success for all of Oxford Brookes' students." Oxford Brookes University is a modern U.K. university with a reputation for innovation, high-quality education and research, and strong links to industry. Oxford Brookes currently has almost 18,000 full- and part-time students from foundation to postgraduate level. For more information, visit the Web site at www.brookes.ac.uk.